PHILADELPHIA, March 20, 2024 – Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson and Wharton Dean Erika H. James are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Sarah E. Light as the inaugural recipient of the Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Professorship at the Wharton School, which is one of three Presidential Professorships Dr. Mitchell J. Blutt, C’78, M’82, WG’87 and Mrs. Margo Blutt have generously established at the University of Pennsylvania. The three Presidential Professorships are at the Wharton School, Penn Arts & Sciences, and the Perelman School of Medicine, the three Penn schools Dr. Blutt attended.
Presidential Professorships allow for the University to recruit and retain exceptional faculty. The Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Professorship was established in 2017 and is dedicated to a Wharton faculty appointment. This professorship enables the School to recognize the academic achievements of Wharton Professor Sarah E. Light in a way that befits her meaningful contributions.
“The Presidential Professorship recognizes and supports Professor Sarah Light’s pathbreaking research and teaching, which explores critical connections between business and law and addressing climate change—an area of focus for Penn’s strategic framework In Principle and Practice,” said Interim President Jameson. “I am grateful for Mitchell and Margo Blutt and their ongoing, generous support for boosting Penn and its academic enterprise.”
Professor Sarah E. Light has been a member of the Wharton faculty since 2013, when she joined as an Assistant Professor. She rose to Associate Professor with Tenure in 2019 and was promoted to Full Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics in 2023. Professor Light’s research focuses on climate and environmental law and policy and private environmental governance. Also serving as the Faculty Co-Director of Wharton’s Climate Center, Professor Light’s research and other academic activities advance the study and dialogue of issues that sit at the intersection of corporate sustainability and business innovation.
“Mitchell and Margo Blutt are stalwart members of the Penn community, giving their time and resources to myriad important causes across the University. I am immensely grateful for their longstanding support of the Wharton School, including their most recent Presidential Professorship,” said Dean James.
“Professor Light’s research examines critical aspects of environmental policy, governance, and business practices, and will undoubtedly influence how corporations address sustainability issues in the 21st century. This professorship is an investment in our exceptional faculty and supports our students in their exploration and understanding of the role of business in addressing climate challenges.”
The Blutts have supported a breadth of initiatives across the University, giving to the Wharton School, the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Athletics, Penn Engineering, Penn Arts & Sciences, and the School of Social Policy and Practice. In addition to their three named Presidential Professorships, they further support teaching and research through their contributions to the Jean-Marie Kneeley President’s Distinguished Professorship, the Mitchell Blutt, M.D. Visiting Professorship in Entrepreneurism and Medicine Endowed Fund, and the Penn National Clinician Scholars Program Endowment Fund.
Extending their generosity to students, Mitchell and Margo Blutt established an MD/MBA scholarship for medical students who have studied business as well as a scholarship for students at Penn Arts & Sciences. They have given to the Alumni Association Fellowship Fund in Honor of June Kinney, for Wharton MBA students in health care management, and the Blutt Endowed Internship, for business and research internships in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management.
In addition to their contributions to Penn students, faculty, and research, the Blutts have enriched arts and cultural opportunities through the Blutt Singer-Songwriter Symposium, the Blutt Band Slam, and the Blutt College House Music Program.
Mitchell Blutt said, “It has been a joy for us to be able to create, fortify, and enhance worthy causes across Penn, from formative student experiences to backing faculty and, through them, their research. It is an honor and privilege for us to help advance the careers of exceptional Wharton professors, especially those who make significant contributions to the most important issues we face as a society.”
Mitchell Blutt is the CEO of Consonance Capital, an investment firm focused in health care. In addition to his multiple Penn degrees, he and Margo Blutt are proud Penn parents, with their son graduating from the University in 2023. Rounding out their generosity with service, Mitchell Blutt is a former Penn Trustee and past Penn Medicine Board member. He currently serves as a member of the Wharton Board of Advisors and an emeritus member of the Penn Arts & Sciences Board of Advisors. The University has honored his many contributions through Penn’s Alumni Award of Merit in 2018 and the School of Medicine’s Alumni Service Award in 2007.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 100,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs, and thousands of pre-collegiate students explore business concepts through Wharton’s Global Youth Program. More than 105,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
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